Staff Editorial
Terrorists Among Us
Sara Pierce
Issue date: 4/15/04 Section: Op/Ed
- Page 1 of 1
Sitting in Biology at Butler it's hard to imagine that Patrick who sits next to you or Allison in the front row could be a terrorist, but according to the Bush administration, terrorists are now everywhere and should be sought out.
These alleged terrorists are not people who plan out elaborate violent plans to undermine our government; they are just simply American citizens using their constitutionally protected civil rights and liberties.
Under the Patriot Act passed just 45 days after 9/11, law enforcement can do secret searches of medical records, financial records and student records. They can also use phone and internet surveillance.
Recently, a young man who was very politically active put up a website and allowed others to post information to links on his site. One person posted something similar to the Anarchist's Cookbook, consequently, the government charged the website owner and he's now serving five years in prison.
Under the protection of the first amendment, American citizens are allowed freedom of speech and the press. And now it seems that these rights may be infringed upon if intelligence has any sort of inkling of actions that might resemble what they consider terroristic.
It seems that in the years following 9/11, the American public is learning that sometimes you just can't trust the government with your own safety and the blanket of the first amendment.
With the recent 9/11 investigation and the light shed on the FBI, it's time for Americans to decide how far they are willing to go to protect themselves. Are civil liberties more important or is our own safety?
American citizens should be concerned with their safety, but this shouldn't include giving up those rights which many died to gain. The answer to this dilemma is honesty. Once we are told the truth, then the public might build some trust. However, for the time being, we should be wary of the Patriot Act as something that could possibly be used as a Red Scare.
These alleged terrorists are not people who plan out elaborate violent plans to undermine our government; they are just simply American citizens using their constitutionally protected civil rights and liberties.
Under the Patriot Act passed just 45 days after 9/11, law enforcement can do secret searches of medical records, financial records and student records. They can also use phone and internet surveillance.
Recently, a young man who was very politically active put up a website and allowed others to post information to links on his site. One person posted something similar to the Anarchist's Cookbook, consequently, the government charged the website owner and he's now serving five years in prison.
Under the protection of the first amendment, American citizens are allowed freedom of speech and the press. And now it seems that these rights may be infringed upon if intelligence has any sort of inkling of actions that might resemble what they consider terroristic.
It seems that in the years following 9/11, the American public is learning that sometimes you just can't trust the government with your own safety and the blanket of the first amendment.
With the recent 9/11 investigation and the light shed on the FBI, it's time for Americans to decide how far they are willing to go to protect themselves. Are civil liberties more important or is our own safety?
American citizens should be concerned with their safety, but this shouldn't include giving up those rights which many died to gain. The answer to this dilemma is honesty. Once we are told the truth, then the public might build some trust. However, for the time being, we should be wary of the Patriot Act as something that could possibly be used as a Red Scare.